Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

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(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, April 22nd 2016 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are Spring migrants.

As is often the case this time of year our area this week has seen a decent influx of migrants but no unexpected rarities. Finally on Thursday the winds turned from the north to a southwesterly flow and this morning throughout much of the region the seasons best variety and numbers so far were present. Warbler variety for instance has increased to about 18 species mostly all species from more northerly wintering ranges as one would expect. Among those appearing this week in Central Park for instance have been OVENBIRD, a WORM-EATING WARBLER today, the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES joining the LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES already moving through, more BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, a singing NASHVILLE, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, NORTHERN PARULA, YELLOW and BLACK-THROATED GREEN all today and a few PRAIRIES all joining the earlier arriving PALM, PINE and YELLOW-RUMPED. AMERICAN REDSTART has also been reported elsewhere.

Otherwise an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was still being seen today in Prospect Park the bird lingering along Well Drive often on the south side of Lookout Hill near the same lamppost #249. Is this the same one present around the turn of the year when the Painted Bunting was the major attraction there? Recent HOODED WARBLERS have featured singles today at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn and Strack Pond at the western end of Forest Park in Queens with another in Valley Stream State Park Wednesday and Thursday and one still at Quogue Wildlife Refuge on Monday and besides the bird at Connetquot River State Park single YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS featured one seen only briefly at Prospect Park last Saturday and one lingering at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River at least to Sunday.

Among the other migrants appearing this week have been among the shorebirds WILLET, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER and LEAST SANDPIPER all along Long Island's south shore where FORSTER'S TERN numbers have been increasing.

Other reports include a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO in Central Park today, some CHIMNEY SWIFTS and a couple of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS since Tuesday and GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER in Central Park today along with an EASTERN KINGBIRD or two. The first of the WOOD THRUSHES have also arrived while vireos this week have included WHITE-EYED, BLUE-HEADED and WARBLING plus an early RED-EYED in Central Park today.

Additional arrivals have featured some HOUSE WRENS especially today. More BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, SCARLET TANAGER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, a few INDIGO BUNTINGS and ORCHARD and BALTIMORE ORIOLES all noted today and such sparrows such as VESPER, GRASSHOPPER, LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was photographed in Riverdale Park last Sunday and two were still in Willowbrook Park on Staten Island this week.

Other lingering birds include an ICELAND GULL along Brooklyn's Gravesend Bay at least to Monday, an AMERICAN BITTERN on Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet last Saturday and a SHORT-EARED OWL still on the former Grumman airport grasslands in Calverton last Saturday. A BLACK VULTURE was spotted over Prospect Park Tuesday and a BONAPARTE'S GULL paid a rare visit to the Central Park reservoir on Wednesday.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.